1.5.13

Cambodia Day 2: Angkor Wat; Part 1



The next day we spent exploring the temples at Angkor Wat. We got up really early and went there in the dark so that we could see the sun rise over the temple.


Angkor Wat is a Hindu temple, but some other ones were Buddhist. They were all ruins, although a few were getting repaired to look like they originally did. I think the coolest part was that you could go anywhere as long as it wasn't unsafe. The stairs were very steep and some parts were worn off, so there was climbing involved. 


These were carvings on the inside walls. I can't imagine how long it must have taken to do all of this! The carvings were usually of dancers, Buddha or Hindu gods, or scenes from stories from (I'm assuming) the Ramayana and Mahabharata. 



These snake head statues were everywhere; I even saw some replicas in the capital Phnom Penh.



This is the reflecting pool out in front. It reminded me of the pool at Kinkakuji in Kyoto.




The next temple we went to was called Bayon. It was about 10 minutes down the road, and we passed some wild monkeys on the way! 



There were faces all over this temple, so it was really cool to look at and try to find them all.



You can see that many parts of the temples had fallen down. It reminded me of video games when you reach the end of the world so the way is blocked, but that actually exists! 


Opening the secret door, Indiana Jones-style.



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